Krampus Celebrations Are Becoming Dangerous – Historian Warns

Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – It’s always nice to see that ancient traditions and customs are still alive in our modern society, but sometimes festivals can go too far.

A historian warns that Krampus celebrations have become dangerous and even life-threating in some cases.

The evil Krampus who accompanied Father Christmas and punished children who have misbehaved is a well-known figure especially in countries like Austria, Germany, Hungary, and Croatia. The origins of this "half-goat and half-demon" being are not entirely clear and it’s possible Krampus emerged before Christianity.

Krampus in Salzburg. Credit: Christkindlmarkt.co.at

Celebrations of Krampus occur every year and police struggle with rising violence and drunkenness in relation to traditional folkloric festivities.

In Austria, Krampus has been part of pre-Christmas folklore for centuries and the festivals have always been nice to see with people dressed in traditional costumes roaming the streets to scare children and grownups from the end of November to the middle of December.

Unfortunately, in recent years the Krampus festival has turned into something less pleasant.

Police report a number of violent incident and both adults and children have been seriously hurt. Firefighters have been beaten by a group of Krampuses and some costumes have been set on fire causing life-threatening injuries.

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Peter Wiesflecker, a historian of Austrian culture and customs warns the cult of the Krampus has evolved into a mass spectacle, and the traditional festival is becoming a real danger.

Alcohol ban has also been difficult to enforce and the police can no longer control the emerging chaos.

“If a large group of young men in masks roamed the streets on any other night of the year, the police would be called out in an instant,” said Wiesflecker. “In an anonymous collective, we are always more likely to overstep our boundaries.”

Even smaller, more traditional Krampus associations have begun to enforce a codex that devil-impersonators are advised to follow.

Krampus and Saint Nicholas visit a Viennese home in 1896. Credit: Public Domain

“Krampus is meant to make spectators’ skin crawl with his appearance and movement – not cause fear or even panic,” state the guidelines issued by the Krampus association in the municipality of Anif, in Salzburg state.

The Anif Krampuses, which wear traditional wooden masks with bells, are advised never to hit spectators with their bundles of birch branches and cows’ tails, but only lightly brush them. The consumption of alcohol is forbidden until the mask is off. There is even a “Krampus-free zone” where children can escape when they get too scared.

“The aim of the Krampus is not to hurt people,” said Aleksander Andonov, who heads the Anif Krampus Association.

“On the contrary: we want to take away their fear. In the end, good always wins over evil.”

Written by Conny Waters - AncientPages.com Staff Writer